She must learn again to speakstarting with Istarting with Westarting as the infant doeswith her own true hungerand pleasure and rage.

-- Marge Piercy

Aug 5 SignPosts and Landmarks...and Twinkies?!

Imagine we're on a road trip (yes, all of us...wouldn't that be fun?!), cruising along toward some predetermined destination, tunes cranked, windows open, kids (probably) fighting.

Along the way are the green mile markers, the ones indicating we're generally headed in the right direction, the ones whose job is to simply get us to the next green mile marker with the bigger (or smaller) number.

And then there are the signs that really demand our attention: landmarks, viewpoints, major interchanges where we have to decide whether to stay on the road we're on or head in a new direction, the "welcome" signs when we've crossed from one state into another.

The SignPosts we're talking about here function in similar ways. Some are green mile markers, little winks and nudges from God to keep us moving toward the next SignPost. These signs are important, and their message is real and powerful, but their "Wow" can be rather short-lived and they tend to have a somewhat limited shelf life.

And then there are the SignPosts with the shelf life of a Twinkie: the ones that stop us in our tracks, that point us in the direction of change, or provide a paradigm-rattling perspective shift that stays with us forever.

From now on, you'll notice a little image at the end of each SignPost story. We've developed a rating system to capture the magnitude of the "Wow," the overall impact of the SignPost experience, and its expected longevity.

This SignPost marks a shift or change of some kind, whether in perspective or attitude or direction. A moment of knowing (or unknowing), a decision, a turning point, an opportunity made possible only by being in a state of Grace...or at the very least, the town.

The very definition of "absolute clarity" or "crystal clear guidance,"a SignPost against which all other SignPosts are measured.One that will not be forgotten.

As always, we would love to hear about the mile markers, landmarks, and Twinkies you've collected along the way. Each represents a story waiting to be told...stories that are yours alone to tell.